Decorative product



W. W. ROWE DECORATIVE PRODUCT Filed Feb. 8, 1937 Oct. 13, 1942.

A'HURNEYS.

Q I a. O Eris 2L Patented Oct. 13, 1942 nEcoRA'rrvE PRODUCT WilliamWallace Rowe, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Cincinnati Industries, Inc.,a corporation of Ohio Application February a, 1937, serial No. 124,649

2 Claims.

My invention-is directed to the manufacture of novel, durable, andeconomical decorative materials of the generalclass of materialssuitable for use as artificial leathers, as wall coverings, as floorcoverings, and in certain instances, as external coverings or facingsfor buildings, in

' book-binding, in the manufacture of luggage and protective cases andcoverings for articles and materials, and in many other uses. To theextent that the same subject matter is disclosed herein, this case is acontinuation in part of several of my copending applications for UnitedStates Letters Patent, as follows: Serial No.

512,311, filed January 30, 193lfentitled Flexible impervious andweatherproof material and method of making it, which has now maturedinto Patent No. 2,085,473, dated June- 29, 1937, Serial No. 736,055,filed July 19, 1934, and entitled Coated creped fabrics and articles andprocesses of making them, which has now matured into Patent No.2,077,438, dated April 20, 1937, Serial No. 668,106, filed April 26,1933; and entitled Plural ply fabrics, which has now matured into PatentNo. 2,069,778, dated February 9, 1937.

This invention relates to materials having an external surfacing ofdecorative and durable character consisting of or. comprising such ma-The general objects of my invention are the provision of novel andimproved materials of thev character described, together with methods ofmaking them. The more specific objects of my invention will be set forthhereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the artupon. readingthis specification.

Reference may now be made tothe drawing wherein each of'the. threefigures shows a diflerent type of fabric falling within the scope of myinvention, certain layers being cut away to show underlying layers.

lhave indicated hereinabove that my invenva base of asphalt saturatedfelt.

lems, but-also present a number of problems in common; and in order tomake a definitive showing of my invention, it will be necessary todiscuss these problems. Artificial leathers have heretofore been made ona base of cloth coated with suitable pyroxylin compounds, lacquers, orthe like, to give the desiredsurface appearance. Wall'coverings of thetypes herein described have not, so far as I am aware, been madeprevious to my work as set forth herein, although in a few instanceswalls have been covered with the artificial leathers of commerce. theprinted class have uniformly been made on So also have roofing andsiding materials. The novel products herein mentioned represent radicaldepartures from anything hitherto known in these arts. I shall discussthe various problems involved under suitable headings:

Body materials As indicated, artificial leathers have been madeheretofore on a cloth base. The cloth base has to be heavy enough togive suitable body to the material, since for many uses a heavy body iscrease the weight of the cloth foundation or to increase the thicknessof the coating. Both ways tion relates to materl'alsblassifiableas'artificial leathers, decorative wall coverings, floor coverlugs andexternal surfacing materials. These present, of course, a number ofindividual prob are disadvantageous in some respects and are quiteexpensive. It is anobject of my invention to provide convenient andeconomical solutions to these problems. v

For certain purposes, so-called napped cloths, are used. The nappingprocess is accomplished by taking a web of cloth and roughing up thesurface fibers on one or both sides by the use of wire brushes or inother known ways. The effect 'is to produce a cloth which is soft andflannel-like on at least one surface. -It is dimcult to take a clothwhich has already been coated to produce the artificial leather surfaceand put it through the nappingprocess because the pyroxylin coatingtends to penetrate to the reverse side of the cloth, thereby operatingto prevent the action of the wire brushes in napping the cloth on thereverse side. It is also quite dimcult to nap the cloth first and thencoat it with the coating substance, because the py- Floor coverings ofroxylin will tend to penetrate through to the napped side, therebystiffening the nap.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple and economicalsolution for this problem while also providing for a napped surface ifit is desired.

Rooflngs and sidings are subject to much the I same difiicultiesalthough their manner of use is quite different. Brittleness and thetendency to tear and split upon the application of strain are, ofcourse, of equal importance; though for example, when roll roofing isfastened at both sides, these tendencies arise primarily throughstretching, sagging, contraction or expansion of the roofing materialswhich cause wrinkles, bulges and the like. However, these wrinkles andbulges are unsightly and are a source of 'com-' plaints. It is anotherobject of my invention to provide simple and economic solutions forthese problems. Also it is an object of my invention to provide strengthin floor coverings, sidings, rooflngs, and the like which they have nothitherto possessed;

All of these uses'require considerable body in the materials. Cloth isexpensive as the sole body material. 80 also are saturated felts, andthese have, as. indicated, the additional disadvantage of lack ofinherent strength. I have found that materials may be made havingsubstantially any desired body weight by superposing layers of paperproviding the paper is 'bulked in thickness by creping or by giving itsome other form of inherent rugosities which have the desired effect. Asmany layers as desired of creped paper may be cemented together Ifstiffness is required, it may be obtained by backing the paper layers toa stiff material as might be done, for example, in book-binding or inthe manufacture of preformed wall coveri panels where the decorativematerial is hacked to a panel of cardboard, wallboard, or any of thehard or soft panel boards of commerce.

In the fabric itself, however, varying degrees .of stiffness may beobtained in the use of a plurality of layers of single creped papers byso superposing these layers that the creping crinkles in one layer lietransverse to the creping crinkles in another layer, thereby producing asort of trussing action. This may be done either by cutting andreversing ordinary creped papers, or by employing single, diagonallycreped paper layers so arranged that the crinkles are oppositelydisposed.

As exemplary material I have indicated in Fig. 1 a composite productcomprising severallayers I, 2 and 3, of universally stretchable papermade in accordance with the teachings of the Kemp Patents 2,008,181 and2,008,182, ,and the copending application in the name of William C. KempSerial No. 558,884, filed August 24, 1931. The number of layers of paperin the product does not constitute a limitation on my invention. Theproduct as shown in this figure is a flexible and limber product having,however, any desired body and very considerable strength. By reason ofits inherent stretchability it may be conformed to irregular surfacesmuch more readily. The stretchability of the product, while notlessened, may be resisted in various ways, as by the inclusion in thecombining adhesive of short, heterogeneously arranged fibers. If greaterstrength is desired at the expense of stretchability variousreenforcements, as above mentioned, may be used externally or internallywith this product. Also it is possible by proper distribution of thesereenforcements, as taught in my copending application Serial No.122.172, filed Jan. 25, 1937, to

with suitable adhesive and the combined prod- Moreover, a creped paper,while possessingconsiderable efiective transverse bulk or thickness, isnevertheless quite flexible in a direction.

transverseto the lines of crepin Where universally stretchable paper isemployed the prod-' uct will be quite flexible in every direction. Alsoproducts made of stretchable papers have inherent stretchabiiitywhich-is an advantage in available in products of the class'to whichreference is made here. As I have taught in my copending applicationSerial No. 668,106 referred to above, non-conjoint layers of papercemented together withintervening layers of adhesive, while possessinggreat inherent stretchability possess also an extraordinary resistanceto the removal of this stretchability which gives them a furtheradvantage.

retain stretchability in one or more directions, if desired. The layersof paper may be cemented together with any suitable adhesive. Where thepaper has been creped by means of the use of a positive thermoplasticadhesive, such for example,

as asphalt, or where the paper has beencreped by means of rubber, as setforth in my copending application Serial No. 668,105, filed April 28,1933, the creping adhesive may be employed to Join the plies together.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a fabric such as that described and claimed in mycopending application Serial No. 512,311, referred to above, where thereis a layer of fabric 4 and externally disposed layers of paper I and 0.These have been shown as single layers, but for purposes of giving bulkto the product additional layers may be added, if desired. The paper, ofcourse, may be single creped paper formed by the usual watercrepingprocess, or it may be paper creped by the many particulars and has nothitherto been I use of a positive creping adhesive, as setforth in myRe. Patent No. 17,633, or it may be the single or double diagonallycreped paper made under of paper such as paper creped and corrugated inaccordance with the teachings of the issued Rowe and Morris Patent No.2,034,421. Such papers give bulk; but for reasons which will hereinafterbe made clear, it is preferable not to use such papers as an externallayer which is to be coated with lacquer, paint or the like. A

Where a coarse, woven material such as burlap, for example, is usedin aproduct of this character, if thin layers of paper are cemented to itwith relatively thin layers of adhesive, there may be a tendency uponbending the product, to have the grain of the weave of the cloth showthrough the paper surfacing. In embossed products, as hereinafter setforth, this may notbe disadvantageous; but in any event it may beobviated by using sumcient adhesive substance to fill up the intersticesbetween the weave of the cloth. I-

have indicated at I in Fig. 2, a layer of adhesive or filler substancewhich fills up the weave of the cloth.

An advantage of interleaving cloth between 7 tant in connection withfloor coverings, roofing and siding. In Fig. 3 I have indicated,however, a layer of cloth 8 with one or more layers 9 and III of papercemented to one face thereof. Such products may likewise be employed forthe uses contemplated herein, and in. such products depending, ofcourse, upon the nature of the exterior of the cloth, the cloth may benapped or not, as desired. All of these products may have a decorativecoating indicated generally at D.

The coating, base In my novel products a creped web is employed as abase for the incorporation or superposition or both, of decorativecoatings. The coating base operates in three fundamental wa'ysz (a) Itkeeps the coating essentially out of the body material,

b) It aids in the formation of a more perfect film, a thinner film and afilm less subject to damage and disintegration,

(c) It either imparts a desirable texture to the film of coatingsubstance or provides a basis for the subsequent configuration ortexturing of the material. These various functions will now be discussedin detail.

I have spoken hereinabove of thedimculties attendant either upon the useof napped fabrics in the production of artificial leather or oftheprocedure of napping fabrics after they have been coated. In theproduction of artificial leathers or similar materials, if a fabric isfirst faced with a layer of paper and the pyroxylin or other coatingapplied to the'paper, it will be clear thatthis coating cannotgetthrough the paper so as to impregnate the cloth. Thus the cloth may havea nap at the start of the process, which nap will not be impaired, orthe cloth may be napped after the paper has been coated without thedifficulties hereinabove described.

Another result of the use of my novel construction is that when coatinga paper-lined cloth or a paper-surfaced article, less coating may beused to obtain a perfect film whenthe coating is applied over paperrather than over an unlined or plain piece of cloth. The pyroxylincoating is likely to be the most expensive 'part of the article and theefiective partof the coating is the surface film. on my materials theooaters can produce an equally effective surface film with the use of-alower total amount of pyroxylin coating, as will be clear. There is noproblem of filling up or masking the interstices of a cloth web by meansof a decorative top coating. As a consequence, also, it is 'possibletouse cloth reenforcernents of a much more open mesh and a much coarserstructure than could normally be used as a base for pyroxylin coating.For example, I am'able to use a paperlined burlap and secure anexcellent coated surface. If the appearance of burlap on the under sideof the article is objectionable, instead of using the product shown inFig. 3, Imay employ that shown in Fig. 2. Reenforcing materialsembodying open mesh netting or crossed fibers or cords can likewise beemployed, as I have indicated, and such products it would be im possibleto coat at all in the ordinary construction.. In materials coated on theback side with paper, ifthe appearance of a nap is desired, the papermay be flocked. as hereinafter set forth.

The paper layer thus contributes to the production of a more perfect andthinner film. Also the paper contributes to the production of a filmwhich is less liable to disintegration. As is well known, many paints,lacquers and the like show a tendency toward cracking and crazing withlapse of time. In part, this may be due to other causes; but a'greatpercentage of it appears to arise through unequal contraction andexpansion of the film or coating and the base on which it is placed.Universally stretchable papers coated with -these substances appear toprovide a base having substantially no tendency to produce cracking andcrazing arising from this. cause. I explain this by the fact that thestretchable paper is free .to expand and contract as the coating expandsand-contracts, and therefore does not impose upon the coating thestrains which ordinary bases impose.

There is another source of. failure in coating woven fabrics which myinvention obviates. When cloth forms the base for a pyroxylin coating,it is clear that when the cloth is distorted on the bias there is ascissors-like motion of the warp and woof threads which places an unduestrain on the film of coating. This has presented a problem in themanufacture of artificial. leathers leading to the establishment ofstandards of performance and laboratory tests among which is theso-called flexing test. A piece of the fabric is clamped in a suitableapparatus and is repeatedly distorted on the bias under apredeterminedamount of force. Fabrics, to pass the established standards, mustwithstand a large number of flexes. Considerable work apparently hasbeen done also in the art of developing certain'kinds of cloth which vhave-a less strongly marked tendency to subject the coating to this typeof strain.

Where, however, the fabric is faced with a stretchable paper and thispaper is given the of the coating than fabrics hitherto made.

Whencoating paper to form products sub- Jected to hard usage involvingflexing, as for' example, in upholstery or the like, it is advisable tomake provision against the internal splitting or separation into pliesof a paper layer to which the coating is applied if this'layer be.

of very heavy character. This is taken care of, however, easily by oneof two methods. Any impregnation of the paper with a relatively hardsubstance whether permanently adhesive in character or of the characterof paint, lacquer, or the like will cut this splitting tendency down tothe point where it is no longer'of importance. Thus when coating paperwith lacquer, varnish, pyroxylin or the like, it is possible to applythe material in such form that a portion of it penetrates in and throughthe paper, thereby elim inating the splitting tendency. This may largelybe controlled by the viscosity of the coating at the time of theapplication, and the viscosity may be controlled in known ways. Where,however, it is undesirable to make provision for the external coating topenetrate the body of the paper, the paper may be rendered non-splittingsuch a coating. Under these conditions one or more of the paper layersmay be subjected to an anti-staining treatment, as set forth in mycopending application Serial No. 512,311. A simple form of suchtreatment is to give the paper a coating of rubber latex either beforeor after creping. Such coating acts to prevent staining of the paper orpenetration through the paper of underlying adhesives when located nextthe adhesive coating. When located on the side of the paper away fromthe adhesive coating it, of

course, does not tend to prevent penetration of the paper but willprevent the adhesive coming through the ,paper and any externalcoatings.

by causing penetration into the paper of the adhesive employed inbuilding up the composite fabric. The adhesives most commonly used inbuilding up the composite fabric will be such materials as asphalt orother bitumen, resins,

' described in my lcopending application Serial No. 135,296 filed April6, 1937. Thus when employing asphalt, for example, as an adhesive, theasphalt can be caused to strike into or through the paper, if desired,by treating the external uncoated surface of the paper with a volatilesolvent for the asphalt.

It will be understood that penetration of the paper by a dark colored orstaining adhesive may be of importance where the nature of the overlyingcoating is such as to be transparent or translucent in part at least.Under these circumstances a change in color of an underlying paper layerdue to any cause might be disadvantageous. Moreover certain types ofcoatings, and in particular paint coatings, and the like, aresusceptible to staining from the lighter oils of the asphalt. This is ofparticular importance in the making of paint-printed floor coveringsand-the like. For these uses it is frequently advisable to give thepaper an anti-staining treatment either on its upper surface or beneath,as may be desired. Where, however, any coating is of a character whichwould not itself be stained by any materials from an adhesive and whereit is dark enough in color and opaque enough to mask any changes incolor of the coating base, it may act itself as a stain-preventing layerin the sense of preventing any materials coming through the paper layerfrom going any further.

A creped paper is a paper having a distinct siu'face texture. When usedas a coating base it is capable of imparting this texture toa coatingplaced thereon. For most uses, however, the- After the solvent has drawnthe asphalt into the paper it to preserve it, especially where mymaterials are subjected to external weather conditions or to conditionsof moisture as in a flooring.- Where the paper is not permeated it ispossible'for water to work into the layer ojfpaper from a cut edge bycapillarity. Thusthe paper may be weakened and separation promoted, Bythe treatment hereinabove outlined, the paperitself is sealed againstsuch action and its inherent strength in spite of adverse externalconditions.

In connection with the application of certain types of coatings,'andwhere a composite fabric has been built by using some sort of stainingadhesive like asphalt, it is desirable to prevent either a staining ofsurface layers or a penetration of the staining adhesive through surfacelayers. Also this action is important where, as in the case of bitumenas an adhesive. any heat to which the material might be subjected in useIt will texture of ordinary creped paper will not be found particularlydesirable. The texture of the double diagonally creped paper of the Kemppatents referred to above is in itself, however, a fine grainedleather-like texture and especially suitable for coating in theformation of artificial leather and decorative materials in general.

The application of the coating may be done in any way desired by severalmodes of application for their own peculiar advantages. As set forth inmy copending application, Serial No. 736,055,

filed July 19, 1934, the paper may be coated before creping. This has anumber of advantages.

In the first place it is easier to coat plain paper creping ischaracterized by a novel type of texture and differs quite markedly inappearance from paper coated after creping. When paper is coated aftercreping the coating to some degree, at least,

furthermore found that the characteristic apmight cause the adhesive tosoften and tend to penetrate through paper layers so as tostain anexternal coating or so as to-penetrate through pearance of paper coatedafter creping is destroyed to every great extent by subsequentembossing. Thug apaper coated after crepinc may.

'. acteristic color.

by embossing, be made to resemble a paper coated before creping.

It will be understood, of course, ,that when coating already crepedpaper the thickness of base flooring is secured in floorings of my typewhere the coatings are laid down on a coating base of creped paper. Theoperations of printing the floor covering with my new fabrics arecarried on in the same way as is usual with felt base materials.

The use, moreover, of paper characterized by a distinct texture as acoating base facilitates the manufacture of parti-colored coatings.Thus, paper may be coated before or after creping with a relatively thinlayer of coating having one char- After this coating has dried and set acoating having a contrasting color may be applied thereover, and thiscoating removed by wiping or otherwise from the higher portions of therugosities of the textured surface, thereby giving a parti-coloredresultof great efiectiveness.

The decorative surface may be applied to the paper in any desired way asby spraying, roller coating, dipping, doctor'mg and the like. Also, itis within the scope of my invention to employ as a coating base crepedpapers which have been printed with suitable designs, and then employ asan overlying covering a clear lacquer or varrics.

nish or a preformed translucent or transparent Thus paper printed inimitation of cloth, and

lacquered, not only is highly decorative, but has a texture, imparted bythe creping, which is quite suggestive of a cloth surface.

Finally, many of my products are embossed by treating them between theplates of a platen press, one of which contains a suitable design or bypassing them between a'series of embossing rollers. Embossing not .onlychanges the surface aspects of the products but also tends to masksurface imperfections and to mask the juncture between adjacent webs,where the surface of a fabric has been covered with non-coterminouswebs. Metal foils may be incorporated in my material and these maylikewise be embossed both for the sake of general appearance, surface ortexture, and for the masking of lines of juncture between adjacent foilpieces. It is to be noted, however,.that the production of deepembossing in products of this character is dependent to a considerableextent on the stretchability of the coating base. Many materialsincluding metal foils may be given slight surface embossings without,

serious dangerof splitting; but since embossing essentially involves astretching action, deep embossings cannot be formed without danger ofsplitting unless the material be stretchable in and of'itself. Mycoating bases are therefore exceptionally well adapted to deepembossing,

The surfaces of any of my products may be flocked by coating them with asuitable coating layer having adhesive properties during one step of theprocess at least, and while such layers are 75' characterized by novel,desirable textures.

adhesive dusting on them asuitable short-flbered flock or the like. Inthis way a very beautiful 'ef- 'fect may be obtained, such as effects inimitation of suede leather. This may be done before or after creping. Ihave succeeded in making, in the ways described, very durable, verybeautiful but exceedingly inexpensive products having a number ofdistinct advantages. The thickness of the fabrics is not a limitation onmy invention. In accordance with my teachings it will be within theskill of the worker within the art to give these fabrics any body weightdesired. Where the fabrics are to be used for juncture to walls, toarticles, or to stiff panels less body is required. Moreover, my fabricsare such that light body materials maybe given heavy bodies at any timeafter fabrication so that the stocking of large quantities of materialotherwise identical but having different body weights is not required.Moreover, ordinary artificial leathers may be given more body by joiningthem to the fabrics herein described, or to individual layers of crepedpaper. I am not limited as to the nature of the coating materialsemployed nor as to the nature of adhesive employed building up the bodyfab- All of my products have distinct advantages in appearance,durability and economy, as well as in strength and lessened liabilitytoward cracking,- tearing, scufl'ing and the like. All may be When "arefound to be exceedingly durable and weather resistant and even whereinherently stretchable ar not subject to marked shrinkage or elongationunder weather conditions, All of my products are or can be made veryflexible. They will lie flat and can be conformed much more readily toirregular surfaces.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from thespirit thereof.

Having thus described my invention,.what I ing imposed upon said paperlayer, said paper layer being printed in imitation of cloth, and saidcoating being a coating of paint-like character so imposed upon saidpaper that the said'creping crinkles impart a cloth-like texture to saidcoating, said coating being translucentin character to disclose saidprinting.

2. A fabric visually imitating cloth, and comprising a. surface layer ofpaper printed in imitation of cloth and creped in such manner as to haveimparted thereto relatively'fine rugosities comparable in size to therugosities of cloth, whereby the rugosities so imparted to the papergive it a texture reinforcing the impression of cloth imparted by saidprinting, the creping rugosities consistingin crossing sets of crepingcrinkles whereby the paper is given universal stretchability, andwhereby the said texture is without marked directional grain, the saidpaper layer being coated with a wear coating of sufllcient translucenceto disclose said printed representation, said paper layer being joinedby means of a flexible adhesive to a flexible body comprising at 'leastone layer of universally stretchable paper.

wamncr: ROWE.

